Phoenix: Resurrection
by Sunhawk1
Summary: This is yet another Ranma 1/2 crossover; this one's with Dragonball Z. I hope you find it original and entertaining! Alright, people... the rest of chapter 2 is rewritten and posted... chapter 3 may come soon, if I get inspired after hibernation (yawns)
1. Prologue

Phoenix: Resurrection  
(Ranma 1/2 and Dragonball Z crossover)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: Sigh... I'm running out of original and witty (   
read lame and trite) things to say... neither Ranma 1/2 nor   
Dragonball Z belongs to me. 'Nuff said.  
  
Prologue  
  
Ranma burned, writhing in agony, as wave after wave of fire  
corruscated over his aura, the deathless energies from a dying   
shell.  
  
It had started with Saffron. He had killed everyone.  
  
Akane. Pop. Ryouga. Mousse. Shampoo. Even the poor   
Jusenkyo guide.  
  
Oh, he had one, but only after everyone around him had died.   
Even the nearby phoenix warriors were consumed in the battle. The   
only thing left to him was to make sure that this could never   
happen again. The immortal phoenix must truly die.  
  
To do that, he would have to completely destroy Saffron beyond   
any hope of regeneration.  
  
As he had torn the Phoenix-god apart, he had drawn his   
energies into himself, stealing them from his opponent in a move  
similar to Hinako's chi-drain, and made them his own. The best way   
to keep Saffron from regenerating was to eliminate his power.  
  
At last, it was over. Saffron was dead; irredeemably so.   
There was no corpse and no spirit. Nothing remained of the   
greatest and most important struggle of his life.  
  
And thus he burned. The full energies that imbued Saffron,   
and the over-domineering soul of the phoenix, were far more   
powerful than he had ever dreamed of in his worst nightmares.   
Such power could crush the world in flames, or could turn a desert   
into a rainforest full of life.  
  
And so the power to destroy and recreate the entire world   
coursed though his veins, and he screamed as his body seemed to   
melt away, reshaping itself. His last thought gave him what   
little comfort was left to him.  
  
'It's over.'  
  
****  
  
The fire died away, leaving a bubbling pool of molten rock   
where once a mighty mountain stood. In the center, a large golden   
egg, shimmering and glistening in the sunlight, stood, and then   
slowly faded away, leading behind it a dual impression burned into   
the rock for later generations to gaze in awe at, of the faint   
image of a giant bird and a pig-tailed human eternally locked   
together in life and death.  
  
****  
  
Within the molten core of Chikyuu-sei (AN: sp?), called 'Earth'   
by it's inhabitants, a sinuous shape wandered.  
  
Shen-long, the immortal dragon of Earth, stopped as magical   
energies flared into existance in front of him and faded away,   
leaving behind a large golden-red ovoid which seemed to pulsate with   
a regular glow, almost like a heartbeat.  
  
He eyed it warily. He had never really seen it's like before,   
although he could make a few guesses as to what it was. It did not   
belong here, though, here in the fire at the Earth's heart. Perhaps   
next time he was summoned he would bring it to the surface.  
  
At the very least, this could provide him with some entertainment;  
he hadn't seen anything new and exciting for a while now, and in such a   
life as his, ennui was the only enemy.  
  
****  
  
Summoned by the same group of mortals that had summoned him several   
times before, Shen-long carried with him the golden egg, for egg it   
was. As they asked to bring everyone killed by a being named 'Cell'   
back to life, he quietly deposited the egg behind a ruined wall. It   
was near to hatching, and he looked forward to seeing what came out.   
Besides, although he wouldn't admit it, he was a little fond of these   
mortals. They were far stronger than most, and watching their antics   
amused him to no end. He gave a sinuous shrug as he disappeared after   
granting their wishes. He might as well enjoy the show.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, this is yet another fic that had been sitting   
around in my notebook that I decided to type up. This isn't much so   
far, but let me know what you think. Deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com  
  
Preview of upcoming attractions:  
  
"I think I'll name you B-chan!"  
  
Ranma struggled and squawked indignantly as he tried to get away   
from the girl. Now he knew exactly how Ryounga felt... well, more or   
less. He wasn't at all attracted to her (especially since she was only   
five or six); he needed someone to look after, and she seemed nice.   
She even had a nice name. Videl...  
  
BTW, concerning above scene: NO romantic involvement between the two... consider Ranma (who's not... quite... human anymore) to be a kinda guardian, really. 


	2. Chapter One (Newly revised)

Phoenix: Resurrection  
(Ranma 1/2 and Dragonball Z)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: sigh... again, I must say that neither of these series belong   
to me.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
A large golden egg sat near a cratered plain. Nestled among the   
rocks and lichen, it waited for months growing and changing. During the   
night, lizards and snakes, in a temporary truce, lay near it ignoring each   
other, basking in it's comforting warmth. During the day it was bathed in   
sunlight and shade. Undiscovered in spite of occasional burst of activity   
in the nearby plain, it's occupant dreamed.  
  
And then, alomst a year after it first came to rest here, it was   
picked up.  
  
A little girl, perhaps six or seven, carried it in her arms and she   
wobbled towards a tall figure.  
  
"Daddy! Daddy! Look what I found!"  
  
The figure leaned over.  
  
"What do you have there, Videl?"  
  
"I donno! It's big and round and warm and when you put your ear to   
it you can hear it thump! Can i keep it?"  
  
"Well, I..."  
  
The little girl have her father the infamous "kawaii puppy-dog eyes,"   
dreaded by all males of any species (excepting sharks and lawyers).  
  
"O-okay, Videl."  
  
The girl jumped up and down in glee.  
  
"Yay! You're the greatest daddy in the whole world!"  
  
****  
Ranma looked around. Gone was the mountain, the Tap Room, or anything   
he recognized. Instead he was in a small grove of trees, with the sun   
right overhead.  
  
A branch snapped behind him, and he spun around to see... Ranma?  
  
Looking close, he corrected himself. While the general build and facial   
structure was the same, the figure's hair was almost flame-like, and the   
eyes, although blue like his, wee deeper, more intense, and seemed to   
almost contain hints of flames that constantly danced almost   
hypnotically.  
  
The figure calmly walked up to him while he was inspecting it, and, just   
as calmly, slugged him HARD in the stomach. Ranma's breath exploded out,   
and he bent over to recover. This guy, whoever he was, hit harder than   
Ryouga ever did. With a slight grunt, he pulled himself upright.   
  
"What the hell was that for?"  
  
The figure gave him a slight glare.  
  
"What do you mean, what was that for? You ATE me, remember?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Remember? Oh, perhaps this will jog your memory a bit."  
  
The figure suddenly burst into flames, which died down to reveal a giant   
bird made up of flames. Ranma remembered where he had seen this before;   
the phoenix.  
  
"You're-"  
  
"That's right! I WAS Saffron; or, at least, I was what Saffron would have   
become if YOU hadn't interrupted."  
  
"But-"  
  
"And that was a particularly silly idea you had at the end. I'm the phoenix,   
and Saffron was my avatar. I'm immortal, truly immortal, and because of his   
link to me, so was Saffron."  
  
Ranma was a bit ticked at this guy, phoenix or no.  
  
"It worked, though, didn't it?"  
  
"Oh, it worked, all right; Saffron's definitely dead, but now I'm stuck with   
you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, ORIGINALLY, when Saffron completed the metamorphosis, he would be   
combined with me, and we'd become one. However, your killing him screwed that   
plan up."  
  
"So? What does that have to do with you being stuck with me?"  
  
"Think about it. When you killed him by separating him from the energy that   
was sustaining him? ... Nice move, I'd have to admit, but foolhardy in the   
extreme. You took the energy inside yourself. That wasn't so smart; most people   
would have died, and in great pain. You managed to survive, and thus you became   
my avatar instead of Saffron. The metamophosis was completed afterwards."  
  
"So that means that you'll take me over or something? No way!"  
  
The phoenix sighed and rolled it's eyes.  
  
"Not quite. What'll happen is that shortly we'll both cease to exist as separate   
individuals, and will merely be part of the same being. That's the way it works,   
and there's nothing I can do about it. I do say that you're probably a better   
choice than Saffron, although we'll have to work on that ego..."  
  
Ranma grimaced. He still didn't like the sound of this.  
  
"So what exactly do we do now?"  
  
The phoenix shrugged.  
  
"How should I know? We're in your mind, after all."  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
  
Seeing this, the phoenix sighed, and turned back into a human form.  
  
"Look, maybe I should tell you a little about us. We ARE the phoenix; the   
manifestation of fire and the sun. We are immortal; as long as the universe exists,   
we exist in some form or another. As the incarnation of fire, we can control it in   
whatever manner we wish; you've seen a crude form of that when you fought Saffron.   
We can change our shape to some extent, assuming a humanoid shape, both with and   
without wings, as well as a avian form. Our life force, which you know of as chi,   
is more than most mortals can dream of, and we can heal with merely a touch."  
  
He paused for a moment.  
  
"Our duty is to protect what is ours; whether it is a people, like the folk of   
Phoenix Mountain like Saffron, or an individual that we adopt. Without such a goal   
in our mind, we can easily fall prey to the bane of all immortals, ennui, and could   
become corupted by our own power. We have been a teacher, a warrior, a ruler, and   
a healer, among other things."  
  
He paused and cocked his head at Ranma, seeming to examine him.  
  
"I think it's about time. All you have to do is to take my hand, and this'll be   
over. Keep in mind, though, that our destiny is what we choose to make it; don't   
let the past influence your future more than necessary."  
  
Hesitantly, Ranma held out his hand and grasped the other's. There was a crackling   
of flames, a flash of bright light, and then... a warm and soothing darkness, like   
a warm bath in a lightless room.  
  
****  
  
The girl sat and watched the large object as it lay on the table. It was bright   
and shiny, and as large as her head. She had gotten it only yesterday, and loved   
to watch it gitter in the sunlight.  
  
As she gazed at it, it started to rock back and forth, gently at first, and then   
more and more. She cocked her head and stared at it, and suddenly a large crack   
shot down the middle of it.  
  
Immediately she burst into tears.  
  
"It's-it's broken!!"  
  
As she was rubbing her eyes, she heard a sudden noise.  
  
"Chirp?"  
  
She looked up, and saw a pretty bird sitting in the middle of a bunch of golden   
pieces. It was an egg! She immedediately forgot her tears and looked at the bird.  
  
It's body was only a little smaller than her head, and it's wings were   
outstretched. It was a beautiful red and gold, with hints of blue, yellow, and   
purple showing.  
  
"Kawaii!!"  
  
She lunged for it and grabbed it, squeezing it tightly.  
  
"Ch-h-i-r-p ?!?"  
  
It struggled, and, managing to escape her grasp, gave her a somewhat   
dirty look, as if to say "Not you, too!"  
  
"Hi!" she practically chirped herself. "I'm Videl! Who are you?"  
  
"Chirp!"  
  
She giggled, and then grabbed at him again, subjecting him to the   
patented 'Kid's Grip of MINE', somewhat related to the 'Amazon Glomp of MINE!'  
  
"That's not a name... I think I'll call you B-chan."  
  
Ranma struggled and squawked indignantly as he tried to get away from   
the girl. Now he knew exactly how Ryouga felt... well, more or less. He wasn't   
at all attracted to her (especially since she was only five or six); he   
would get bored if he had nothing to do, and she seemed nice... if in a   
somewhat-grabby way. He gave a sigh, shrugged, and gave up. Might as well   
enjoy it.  
  
Author's Note: Not very long, but then again, most of my posts are rather   
short. The next chapter will deal with what exactly happened to Ranma, and an   
encounter between DBZ's biggest fake and a certain little bird...   
deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com  
  
Update Notes: I wrote in a little piece to explain a few things and to flesh   
out the chapter; I've been told that it's a bit short... I agree; I'm not very   
good at writing long pieces... 


	3. Chapter Two (full thing!)

Phoenix: Resurrection  
(Ranma 1/2 and Dragonball Z)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: sigh... again, I must say that neither of these series belong   
to me.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Ranma watched as Videl, now twelve years old, bounced out the door   
to go to school. He sighed. Now he knew what a parent feels like as their   
child grows up. It had only seemed yesterday that she was still trying to   
pluck his feathers, and now she was growing up quite quickly.  
  
He waited a few more minutes to make sure she wasn't coming back to   
pick something up, and then flew out the open window. At first, Videl had   
tried to keep him in a cage, but after he had expressed his extreme   
displeasure over the whole issue (he had torn two cages apart with his beak,   
and melted a third - they still couldn't figure that one out), it had been   
given up as a lost effort. The single time that he had been taken to the   
vet to get his wings clipped ended with the vet becoming a priest and his   
assistant joining the fire department out of gratitude for saving his hide.   
Privately, he was certain that Videl's joke of a father was behind that   
one... most likely in revenge for their first encounter.  
  
At first, Mr. Satan had been totally and completely against the idea of his   
daughter having a pet bird, but, with further applications of pleading   
tearful expressions, he had 'succumbed to the inevitable'. However, a week or   
so later, he had tried to kidnap Ranma and sell him to a local pet shop.   
Ranma, out of consideration for Videl's feelings (and a perfunctory bow   
towards being inconspicuous), didn't torch the fool out of hand, although he   
was sorely tempted. Instead, he demonstrated a rather unique adaptation of a   
particular throw used when your opponent outmassed you by a ridiculous amount,   
followed by a series of almost artistic claw marks up and down Mr. Satan's   
back as he lay there in a profound amount of pain.  
  
Phoenix 1, Idiot 0  
  
There had been at least three other attempts over the next two months,   
leaving the new 'score' looking much the same.  
  
Phoenix 4, Idiot -1 (Don't ask... a spectacularly stupid stunt worthy   
of a hungry Sylvester or Wile E. Coyote...)  
  
Finally, the by-now-feeling-absolutely-ridiculous man had given it up, and   
contented himself with giving the bird the hairy eyeball whenever he could   
get away with it.  
  
Ranma glided over the city towards his destination; a small clinic,   
similar in some ways to Dr. Tofu's back in Nerima, in which he worked part   
time. Although he did get paid (quite decently at that), he didn't really need   
the money. Instead, he was using his rather... unique... abilities to heal   
many of the patients that came in (generally keeping low-key... the patients   
and the doctor had no idea what he did). In addition, this gave him an   
identity in his human form that he might want to use later. It didn't hurt   
that the clinic was near the school that Videl went to; after all, he was   
supposed to protect her and all.  
  
****  
  
Ranma walked out of the clinic after saying goodbye to the rest of the   
staff. He only worked about four or five hours a day, starting soon after   
Videl left for school, and finishing soon before she came back.  
  
He strolled down the street, not wanting to change form and fly until   
he was out of sight. Besides, he was enjoying being in this form; having hands   
was incredibly useful...  
  
His human form looked a little like his previous incarnation; same build,   
albeit a bit more muscular, same blue eyes. He had kept the pig-tail too: he just   
wasn't use to having his hair free. The color was a vivid orange-red, though, and   
it almost seemed to dance like flames in the breeze. He tried to keep that   
suppressed, though; normally it would be actually showing licks of flame, and that   
would attract a certain amount of attention, which he deemed moderately   
unproductive.  
  
He turned into an alley and then shifted. Less then a minute later, a   
familiar-looking bird flew out and headed towards the Satan residence. Time to   
play 'pet' again... at least she didn't play so rough any more; not like when she   
was still really young...  
  
His tail feathers still seemed to ache in really cold weather, although the rest   
of his coat had grown back in after only a week and a half... he really didn't   
like looking like a bald chicken; it was... undignified. Very much so.  
  
****  
  
He waited until Videl had settled down into a sound sleep before hopping over to   
the window. Grabbing the catch with his beak, his twisted and pulled it up enough   
for him to duck through. The screen he had long ago taken care of, slicing it   
along the bottom edge and sides.  
  
He closed the window behind him (no sense in causing an uproar if someone woke up   
in the middle of the night and found the open window, and took off.  
  
He had found that he didn't need any sleep really; an hour or two per day on   
average seemed to be plenty for him, and he really didn't feel like staring at the   
walls all night. Besides, there was an instinct inside him that warned him that   
trouble will eventually find him or those around him. There was a theory that   
stated that the more powerful a person or being was, the more likely they were to   
attract things out of the ordinary and to 'bend' the laws of chance, beneficially   
and not quite so beneficially.  
  
He had felt quite a taste of that in his previous life, and it was only a matter of   
time before it found him here. Besides, it was in his nature to always make   
himself better, stronger, and more skilled.  
  
He sped up, becoming to any possible outside observer merely a vivid blur, once he   
was out of the Satan family's grounds and headed for the edge of the city, where he   
had found a largish clearing that was almost ideal for practicing.  
  
He stopped abruptly over his destination, and dropped to the ground, shifting as he   
did so until he was in his "favorite" form, that of a bird-winged human, with his   
hair almost literally flaming out (it wasn't an illusion, too) and his eyes   
containing hot blue embers. It felt natural to him, in spite of the uncomfortable   
(although by this time the discomfort was negligible) reminder of Saffron. That was   
one of the first 'tricks' he had learned; shapechanging. He couldn't just 'pick a   
form, any form,' although he could alter his various forms to a certain minor extent.   
The first form was 'Videl's pet B-chan,' although the more vivid colors and swirling   
flames were eliminated for that guise... that would draw a bit too much attention.   
The second form was a fully (well, more or less) human form, which he used as the   
base for his alternate identity. This was the third form, the same as his human   
form, except with large and, he must admit, beautiful swan-like wings, almost as tall   
as he was, and, when spread out, MUCH wider.  
  
The fourth and final form was perhaps his most dramatic. It was similar in shape to   
'B-chan,' but far far larger than any earthly bird. He was pretty sure, through his   
buried "instincts" from his "inheritance" and from his times spent thinking about the   
whole thing, that this was his 'real' form, but he rarely used it, preferring the   
humanoid and smaller avian form.  
  
He had found, in the three years since he'd starting stretching his abilities as far   
as they would go, that he could do a whole lot of things that could really only be   
explained by magic. As far as he knew, there wasn't any chi technique that allowed one   
to form and control real fire. Aside from that, it FELT different. Whereas he could   
feel a definite limit (although far higher than he was used to in his previous life)   
to his chi, there was one. However, with the... other stuff, there was no complete   
limit. There were limits as to how much he could channel at one time (more or less),   
but he seemed to be literally inexaustible. THAT was magic.  
  
There were a lot of things that it did for him, or that he could do with it. His   
abilities seemed to fall into broad categories for reasons he couldn't quite figure   
out. The first had to do with healing. He had found (and this was what had led to   
his picking a doctor for a profession when he decided to create an alter ego) that he   
could literally heal someone with a touch. Wounds, infections, diseases, poisons...   
it didn't matter. He could simply touch someone and somehow know what was wrong with   
them, and how to cure it. Those "instincts' he had seemed to indicate that he might   
even be able to "heal" death under some circumstances. In addition to healing wounds   
to the body, he was able to quite easily restore a body's energy, without any seeming   
depletion or exhaustion of his own chi (mostly likely because this didn't actually draw   
on his chi).  
  
That one kept him awake many nights (or would have if he still slept that same as he   
once did).  
  
This ability seemed to apply to himself on an unconscious level, and he had seen this   
in effect when he had fought the previous incarnation of the phoenix, Saffron.   
Saffron had been able to instantly regenerate from any injury. In fact, the   
realization of that had given him the rather desperate idea of ABSORBING Saffron's   
energy, and thus (in theory, at least) keep him from constantly healing himself.   
Again, his buried instincts told him that even death was not insurmountable.  
  
The second of his abilities dealt with fire. He had quickly realized that if Saffron   
had been entirely finished with the metamorphosis and had complete control of those   
powers, he would have been a scorch mark on Phoenix Mountain quite quickly. The   
crudest form of fire control was a simple blast of summoned flame, and with control,   
this could become a tightly focused beam of corruscating energy. The ability to   
control existing heat and flames was at least as strong.  
  
And these powers were what he worked on, in conjunction with 'ordinary' martial arts   
and chi techniques. Chi and his phoenix powers, for the most part, didn't seem to mix   
any. He couldn't figure out how to combine them; they just pretty much 'ignored' each   
other whenever he tried.  
  
He flowed through a kata of his own making, derived from a fairly basic form he had   
learned as part of the Saotome School, except used in conjunction with a series of wing   
buffets and strikes. He suddenly launched himself up into the air and continued the   
form, adding in the most recent innovations: strategic attacks of flame and chi aimed at   
imaginary opponents. It was almost a form of idealized combat, a dance, in a way.  
  
He continued his workout until the sky started to lighten in "false dawn," and then he   
halted and took a deep breath. He didn't need to go back yet, but he was done for now.   
Perhaps a quick flight...  
  
Not bothering to change forms, he flew further away from the city. Quickly becoming   
bored with a straight flight, he tunred it into a different sort of kata, almsot purely   
defensive, which was designed to completely avoid attacks, rather than blocking them.  
  
A small... oddity... made him stop, and explore an isolated area off to the left. Here   
he found some kind of ultra-thin pole or tower-like thing, with a large platform on top.   
Curious, he flew towards it, and, seeing a pair of figures near the edge, he swooped   
towards them and alighted in front of them.  
  
He cokced his head in an almost bird-like fashion, and examined the strangers. One   
seemed more or less human, with dark skin and odd attire. The other was most definitely   
not. Last he knew, green skin, sharp teeth, and antennae didn't go with your normal   
average human.  
  
"Err... hello."  
  
****  
  
Author's Note: Alright, I stopped this chapter before I originally planned for a simple   
reason: I'm sleepy. I'm going to leave you hanging here while I go and hibernate for a   
bit... I'm sure you people can guess who the two "strangers" are... Most of the rewrite   
(I lost the original stuff... oh, well) dealt with a more in-depth explanation of what   
Ranma can do right now (as the Phoenix). Next chapter will reveal some of what   
exactly the Phoenix is, and Ranma starting to meet some of the Z-cast. And no, Piccolo   
comes in the chapter after next... and you won't see any Sons or Briefs/Vegeta until a   
few chapters on, when Videl meets Gohan and... heh... well, it'll be interesting.   
Deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com for suggestions, comments, and criticisms. 


	4. Chapter Three (teaser)

Phoenix: Resurrection  
(Ranma 1/2 and DBZ)  
by Shea McIntee  
  
Disclaimer: Hmmm... let me check... Nope! Still not mine...  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Ranma cocked his head in an almost bird-like fashion, and examined the strangers. One   
seemed more or less human, with dark skin and odd attire. The other was most definitely   
not. Last he knew, green skin, sharp teeth, and antennae didn't go with your normal   
average human.  
  
"Err... hello. Who are you"  
  
The little green one spoke up.  
  
"I'm Dende, the Guardian of this planet. And you are?"  
  
Ranma put a hand out. "I'm Ranma. Pleased to meetcha."  
  
The human-appearing one just gave a small odd bow. "Mr. Popo."  
  
Ranma looked around. This place wasn't all that unusual, once you got past the rather...   
interesting... locale, but it radiated something...  
  
Magic. This place was full of it.  
  
"Nice place you got here. Umm... so... exactly what IS this place?"  
  
Dende looked around. "This place? It's my lookout."  
  
"Lookout?"  
  
The small green alien shrugged. "That's what it's called. So what are you? I've never   
seen anything quite like you... and I thought I knew every non-human on this planet."  
  
Ranma scratched his head. "Well, as best I can tell, I'm a-"  
  
Mr. Popo broke in suddenly. "Sir is the Phoenix."  
  
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, what he said." Then he paused for a moment. "Hey! How'd you   
know?"  
  
"Mr. Popo know many things. Phoenix is ancient legend."  
  
Dende scratched his head. "So what exactly is a phoenix?"  
  
The little man sat down cross-legged on the ground, followed by both the guardian and   
Ranma.  
  
"Mr. Popo explain. There five elements, fire, air, water, earth, and spirit. Each   
manifest in avatar. Earth has the Great Worm, who surrounds the entire universe,   
sleeping. Water has the Leviathan, who wanders the universe in search of knowledge.   
Spirit has not one avatar, but four: the dragons, including Shen-Long. And fire has   
Phoenix."  
  
Ranma, who had so far been rather fascinated by this explanation, saw something and   
broke in. "What about air?"  
  
Mr. Popo shrugged. "Who knows? May not have avatar, or maybe do."  
  
"So what does that make me? Some sorta god or something?"  
  
"No, not god. Avatar. Different from god."  
  
Ranma felt he had to sit down, and found he already was. He stood up and sat back   
down. It didn't help.  
  
"Errr... I need some time to think about this... you got somewhere I can train?"  
  
Dende absently gestured to one side. "There's an area over there you can train."   
Then he lapsed back into thought.  
  
"Great! Thanks."  
  
****  
  
Later he flew back to the house, barely making it back inside before Videl woke up.   
He absently chirped at her and closed his eyes as if he were sleeping, which usually   
got her to leave him alone. He had some things to think about.  
  
After he had practiced a little to work out his confusion, he hunted for the other   
two and sat back down and talked. Mostly he asked questions. Mr. Popo didn't know   
much more about the history or powers of the phoenix than he did, aside from that one   
piece earlier, and Dende knew even less. Dende had said that if he came back   
regularly, he'd eventually be able to talk with someone named "Piccolo", who was the   
guardian before Dende, or something like that. Maybe he'd know more. At the least,   
judging from the things Dende had said about Piccolo, he'd find a training partner.  
  
Maybe he should start training Videl? After all, he needed to do SOMETHING with the   
art.  
  
Nah... it'd be too much trouble. To train her, he'd need to use his human form, and   
her father wouldn't allow anyone else to teach her... stupid, but there it was. Of   
course, there was also Mr. Satan's growing paranoia about his daughter (now starting   
to bloom at age 13) and any male of the species. In part, Ranma shared that   
paranoia, but not to the same extent. Heh, after all, she was his little sister, or   
something like that, so he had just as much right to be paranoid.  
  
Speaking of her father, he supposed that it was about time for another pathetic   
attempt by that foolish man to get rid of him. They had started out being at least   
moderately amusing, but by now were more annoyance than amusement. ON the upside,   
they did liven up his life here. By now, Mr. Satan didn't mind his daughter having a   
pet, but it had become almost a point of pride to finally beat that bird. So, every   
month or two, he'd come up with something to humiliate or get rid of 'B-chan', and,   
inevitably, would fail in a spectacular way. Privately, Ranma suspected that the man   
did it merely out of habit.  
  
Regardless, it was getting to that time of month; the fifteenth, or the 'ides', as the   
buried part of his mind suggested. That part of him always seemed to come up with odd   
bits of information on occasion.  
  
'"The ides of March"... hmmm... nahh... doesn't sound good enough...'  
  
Nearby, Mr. Satan sneezed as he looked at his calender, which had the fifteenth of March   
circled in red. Today was the day when he finally achieved his revenge on that damn   
bird! So why did he have an ominous feeling about this?...  
  
****  
  
Temp Author's Note: Okay, I'm posting this now, although this is not the full chapter.   
Consider this another teaser... I have a party to prepare for, and some sleep to get,   
and so forth.  
  
A while back I had already written the part of the first scene where Mr. Popo explains   
the Phoenix. However, I can't seem to find that rather nicely-written little piece   
anywhere, so I had to make do. The result is a little awkward... Oh, well. Comments,   
criticisms, and so forth go to deus_ex_mach42@hotmail.com . Flames will be used to warm   
up my domecile (it's still winter), and trolls will be fed to the monster under my   
hammock (a giant mutant gerbil) if they're lucky. If they're UNlucky, I'll read them   
some of my poetry first... and THEN feed them to the giant mutant gerbil. 


End file.
